Carefully Mismatched

Here's an outfit that could easily have gone horribly matchy-matchy if I wasn't careful. It all began with the combination of the capelet-jacket and the skirt. It was a great starting point for an outfit because it neatly divides my upper and lower halves into two equal parts, which gives me great proportions. Adding the skinny belt was a no-brainer because the teal matched the skirt so perfectly, but then I was faced with the difficult task of deciding where to go from there.

I knew that adding another teal item was out, because the color is eye-catching enough and needs no further repetition. But adding several matched pieces in another color would've looked very much like a uniform, so when I finally decided upon purple as my second color, I made sure to choose 3 different shades for the t-shirt, socks, and boots. The t-shirt is a deep eggplant, the socks a rich magenta, and the boots a dusty burgundy. In this way everything goes together without looking too studiously matched. I'd describe this as adding 'depth' to an outfit, because the mismatched shades of purple stand out or fade into the background depending on where they're placed. You almost don't notice the sleeves of the t-shirt because the shade is so dark, while color of the socks pops against both the contrasting skirt and more subdued shade of the boots.

This skirt is really versatile, and is easily a year-round piece. Paired with lime green or red, it can look vibrant and lively in warm weather; paired with neutrals or deep jewel tones such as purple or dark green, it transitions right into the colder months.

Caplet: Forever 21
T-shirt: H&M
Belt: Lazaro
Skirt: Anthropologie
Socks: Sock Dreams
Boots: Fly London